1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging device, and specifically a imaging device and method that allows switching between two different imaging modes; one mode based on light field photography, and another mode which is a normal high-resolution imaging mode for imaging.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of imaging devices have been proposed and developed to date. Further, imaging devices have been proposed which perform predetermined image processing on the imaging signal obtained as a result of imaging to output the resultant signal. For example, PCT Patent Publication No. WO06/039486 pamphlet and Ren. Ng, et al, “Light Field Photography with a Hand-Held Plenoptic Camera”, Stanford Tech Report CTSR 2005-02 propose an imaging device which employs a technique called “light field photography.” This imaging device includes an imaging lens, a microlens array, a photoreceptor and an image processing section. The imaging signal from the photoreceptor contains not only the light intensity on the photoreceptive surface of the photoreceptor, but also information about the traveling direction of light. The image processing section reconstructs an observation image as seen from an arbitrary viewpoint or direction based on such an imaging signal.